Myth Lore: Numerous cultures all over the world believe in some version of a Skinwalker, which is closely related to beliefs about werewolves and other were-creatures. The best documented Skinwalker beliefs are those of the Navajo yenaldooshi. The yenaldooshi are evil human beings who have gained supernatural power by murdering a close relative. The creature travels by night, spreading misery and desecrating holy things. He or she is usually naked, except for a coyote skin. The yenaldooshi is also said to have the power to assume the form of a coyote or other animal.
The yenaldooshi's power comes from its use of corpse powder, which is made from human cadavers. Touching the corpse powder curses a person with sickness or death. This is an inversion pollen usage, which Navajos sprinkle to produce blessings.
In Norse folklore, a Skinwalker is a person who can travel in the shape of an animal or take on certain characteristics of an animal. The most well-known example is a warrior who takes on the strength and stamina of a bear, called bear shirt or berserker.
Skinwalkers are considered by hunters to be werewolf cousins because they have similar characteristics. They shape shift into an animal, they are killed by silver weapons, they infect people with a single bite, and they feed on human hearts.
Unlike werewolves, skinwalkers' transformation into a canine is complete and they are not limited by the phases of the moon. Skinwalkers can change into their animal form at any time, day or night. Skinwalkers also mostly change into canines instead of a wolf-human hybrid like werewolves. Like other creatures such as vampires, and real canines, they seem to have a pack mentality, as they are led by a pack leader.
Skinwalkers revert back to their human form in death.
Other common features similar to werewolves is the fact that they always eat the heart of their victims. They also have an infectious bite and they can turn humans into skinwalkers simply by biting them and passing on the infection to the person.
Skinwalkers posses the following abilities and powers:
Enhanced Strength - Their strength seems to be greater than the average human's, as in its dog form it was able to kill humans. Their strength appears to increase with rank (much like vampires), so the Pack Leader will most typically be the strongest of the group. It seems that it's only in their canine form that they possess their strength though.
Super speed - Skinwalkers, in their animal form, can run and move faster than humans.
Accelerated healing - They appear to be able to heal themselves much faster than humans. Skinwalkers have been shot and/pr stabbed and it's been noted that they healed extremely quickly.
Invulnerability - Like many other shapeshifters, skinwalkers can only be killed by silver bullets to the heart or head. They can, however, be injured, but will heal if not done by silver.
Super senses - They can smell far better than humans, in either form. Using this ability, they can tell if they are being followed or if someone is in the vicinity, within an approximate range of 100 yards or more. Also, a skinwalker's hearing is comparable to that of a dog.
Infectious bite - Like Werewolves, skinwalkers possess a poisonous bite; if someone is bitten by a skinwalker, he or she will also become a skinwalker. There is no known cure.
Shapeshifting - Like werewolves, skinwalkers possess the ability to transform into canines. Unlike most werewolves, however, skinwalkers transform completely into an animal rather than a hybrid man/wolf creature. Skinwalkers can change from their human to animal forms anytime without a full moon.
Skinwalkers are extremely allergic to silver.
Silver has been shown to be the only thing that can kill a skinwalker. Whenever a skinwalker is killed by a silver bullet or knife in its animal form, it reverts to its human form.
- Silver weapons do x2 damage. On a critical hit, it's x4 damage.
- Skinwalkers have Fast Healing/4. They heal normally from Silver damage (HP = lvl per day).
- When a skinwalker transforms, it can do so in 1 round.
- When in human form, skinwalkers have a 30 base movement. When a skinwalker tranformers, it has a 45 base movement speed.
-When transformered, skinwalkers have low-light vision and scent (per the extraordinary special abilities)
.
The yenaldooshi's power comes from its use of corpse powder, which is made from human cadavers. Touching the corpse powder curses a person with sickness or death. This is an inversion pollen usage, which Navajos sprinkle to produce blessings.
In Norse folklore, a Skinwalker is a person who can travel in the shape of an animal or take on certain characteristics of an animal. The most well-known example is a warrior who takes on the strength and stamina of a bear, called bear shirt or berserker.
Skinwalkers are considered by hunters to be werewolf cousins because they have similar characteristics. They shape shift into an animal, they are killed by silver weapons, they infect people with a single bite, and they feed on human hearts.
Unlike werewolves, skinwalkers' transformation into a canine is complete and they are not limited by the phases of the moon. Skinwalkers can change into their animal form at any time, day or night. Skinwalkers also mostly change into canines instead of a wolf-human hybrid like werewolves. Like other creatures such as vampires, and real canines, they seem to have a pack mentality, as they are led by a pack leader.
Skinwalkers revert back to their human form in death.
Other common features similar to werewolves is the fact that they always eat the heart of their victims. They also have an infectious bite and they can turn humans into skinwalkers simply by biting them and passing on the infection to the person.
Skinwalkers posses the following abilities and powers:
Enhanced Strength - Their strength seems to be greater than the average human's, as in its dog form it was able to kill humans. Their strength appears to increase with rank (much like vampires), so the Pack Leader will most typically be the strongest of the group. It seems that it's only in their canine form that they possess their strength though.
Super speed - Skinwalkers, in their animal form, can run and move faster than humans.
Accelerated healing - They appear to be able to heal themselves much faster than humans. Skinwalkers have been shot and/pr stabbed and it's been noted that they healed extremely quickly.
Invulnerability - Like many other shapeshifters, skinwalkers can only be killed by silver bullets to the heart or head. They can, however, be injured, but will heal if not done by silver.
Super senses - They can smell far better than humans, in either form. Using this ability, they can tell if they are being followed or if someone is in the vicinity, within an approximate range of 100 yards or more. Also, a skinwalker's hearing is comparable to that of a dog.
Infectious bite - Like Werewolves, skinwalkers possess a poisonous bite; if someone is bitten by a skinwalker, he or she will also become a skinwalker. There is no known cure.
Shapeshifting - Like werewolves, skinwalkers possess the ability to transform into canines. Unlike most werewolves, however, skinwalkers transform completely into an animal rather than a hybrid man/wolf creature. Skinwalkers can change from their human to animal forms anytime without a full moon.
Silver has been shown to be the only thing that can kill a skinwalker. Whenever a skinwalker is killed by a silver bullet or knife in its animal form, it reverts to its human form.
- Skinwalkers have Fast Healing/4. They heal normally from Silver damage (HP = lvl per day).
- When a skinwalker transforms, it can do so in 1 round.
- When in human form, skinwalkers have a 30 base movement. When a skinwalker tranformers, it has a 45 base movement speed.
-When transformered, skinwalkers have low-light vision and scent (per the extraordinary special abilities)
.